Another year, another overview of my collection. Last year, I used Adobe Illustrator and created vector images for each table — accuracy was a pain in the butt. This time, I went with Google Data Studio. I don’t have as many shape and display options as I do with Illustrator, but I can more easily separate and display data this way. I have so much fun playing with data that I went a little overboard with this, so you can click through the four pages at the bottom of the frame. Or, if it’s easier for you, you can view directly in Data Studio.
Author: Rachel
Pen Resolutions Tag
Posted in Fountain Pens
This is another adaptation from Theresa is Dead, this time, her OH 2021… | BEAUTY RESOLUTIONS TAG video. The Beauty Resolutions Tag originated with Mel Thompson. At first glance, I thought this one wouldn’t require much adaptation. It seemed as though most questions could easily apply to the pen hobby simply by changing one or two words. However, when I sat down to really answer each question, I realized that a lot more work was required. But I digress
I’ll have to revisit this in 2023 and see how I did with these resolutions.
1. What is something you do regularly in your pen routine that you will try to stop?
I need to get better about putting off pen cleaning. I used to clean my previous week’s pens when filling the new week’s pens. But that turned a 10-minute activity into a 20+ minute activity, which annoyed me. So, I started cleaning my pens on Mondays, then Tuesdays, and, well, you get the picture. I usually get them cleaned by Wednesday, but a couple of weeks ago, I never got to them and had to clean 10 pens at once.
Reviewing My Purchasing Habits
Posted in Fountain Pens
Surprisingly, I actually have a short post for you today. As I’ve discussed previously, I’m trying hard to ensure that I think through my pen purchases. I seem to have done fairly well with that in 2021. I sold 14 pens last year, and not one of them was purchased in 2021. That put me ahead of the same-year sales I had in 2020 (2), 2019 (3), and 2018 (4).
I disposed of less pens in 2021 than 2020 (17), 2019 (15), and 2018 (26). However, I only bought two more pens (42) in 2021 than 2020 (40) despite a significant positive change in our financial situation. I’m pretty proud of myself for that.
Year in Review – 2021 Pens
Posted in Fountain Pens, and Non-Fountain Pens
DISCLAIMER UPDATE (6/24/22): TWSBI and Narwhal have released a joint statement which I cover in my most recent TWSBIgate post. While not completely satisfied with TWSBI’s response to the situation, I no longer feel the need to dissuade people from purchasing their products.
DISCLAIMER (5/1/22): Since writing this post, TWSBI has been involved in some unsavory actions, and I am currently boycotting them. For more information, refer to the #twsbigate tag page.
Both last year and in 2019 I wrote about my biggest pen wins and regrets. It was fun to look back on my pens, so I decided to do the same thing this year. However, with my 2021 Top Pens post, I basically already did that. So, I decided to do something I’ve seen in the YouTube makeup world — surprise, surprise — and rank all of my pen purchases.
Note: Some of the pens have already been discussed in recent posts. If a description looks familiar, that’s likely why. Also, where possible, I linked to an Instagram photo from the pen maker or store they collaborated with. When that wasn’t possible, I linked to a good photo on Instagram (consider following those fine folks). And, when all else failed, I linked to my own photos on Instagram.
Welcome to 2022! Once again, my first post of the year is about pens. And there are several more this month.
Early in 2021, I commissioned a Día de Muertos pen from Mr. Cypress. I wrote a 3-part series about that experience (part 1 | part 2 | part 3). At the end of the year, I purchased a second pen from Mr. Cypress, which also has a skull-based design. This puts me in the unique position to compare the two.
2021 New Pen Releases, The Tag
Posted in Fountain Pens, and Ink
DISCLAIMER UPDATE (6/24/22): TWSBI and Narwhal have released a joint statement which I cover in my most recent TWSBIgate post. While not completely satisfied with TWSBI’s response to the situation, I no longer feel the need to dissuade people from purchasing their products.
DISCLAIMER (5/1/22): Since writing this post, TWSBI has been involved in some unsavory actions, and I am currently boycotting them. For more information, refer to the #twsbigate tag page.
This post is based on the “New Makeup Releases | THE TAG” video from Angelica Nyqvist. She’s done this tag for several years, and I thought it would be fun to adapt it to the fountain pen world.
This tag is about evaluating the releases — in this case pens & inks — from the past year.
2021 25 Days of Dupes Wrap-Up
Posted in Ink
I hope you’ve enjoyed this series. If you were unable to purchase the Inkvent Calendar, then I hope this settled your mind about experiencing the colors. I can only assume that the 2021 colors will eventually be released individually, so hopefully this series helped you decide which ones to get.
Comparing the Two Inkvent Calendars
I definitely preferred this year’s calendar to 2019’s. There were actually some unique inks, including some I had to make custom mixes for, rather than a bunch that were practically rebottled versions of standard colors. However, I still feel like Diamine could do better. It shouldn’t be possible to dupe a color in the Inkvent Calendar with a Diamine Ink. That means the colors aren’t “new ink colors that can’t be found anywhere else in Diamine’s existing ranges.” But, I have to at least give Diamine credit for the improvements, especially the additional of multishaders.
25 Days of Dupes 2021 – Day 25
Posted in Ink
Day 25’s ink is All the Best, a shimmer and sheen ink. Of the inks I swabbed, Colorverse Andromeda is the best color dupe. If you have a suggestion for a possible dupe, let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it to the wrap up post.
Enjoy, and happy inking!
25 Days of Dupes 2021 – Day 24
Posted in Ink
First of all, Merry Christmas! I hope you have a great day and that you get to spend quality time with your loved ones.
Day 24’s ink is Yuletide, a standard ink. Of the inks I swabbed, Colorverse Gravity Wave is the best color dupe. If you have a suggestion for a possible dupe, let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it to the wrap up post.
Enjoy, and happy inking!
My 2021 Top Pens
Posted in Fountain Pens
DISCLAIMER UPDATE (6/24/22): TWSBI and Narwhal have released a joint statement which I cover in my most recent TWSBIgate post. While not completely satisfied with TWSBI’s response to the situation, I no longer feel the need to dissuade people from purchasing their products.
DISCLAIMER (5/1/22): Since writing this post, TWSBI has been involved in some unsavory actions, and I am currently boycotting them. For more information, refer to the #twsbigate tag page.
My planning from last year has paid off. This year, I’m revisiting my 2020 Top Pens and seeing what differences there are in comparison to my 2021 top pens.
As I said last year, I tend to sell or trade pens that don’t make me happy to own. I’m getting closer to all of my pens being favorites, but I made myself narrow them down to a top 10 and top 20. I kind of cheated with the Always Inked section, but don’t judge me too harshly.
This was so much harder than I expected it to be. I slightly adjusted my judging criteria this year. I did my best to put these pens in order of which ones I’m most disappointed to un-ink (clean out). And so, I give you my top pens as of the end of 2021.
25 Days of Dupes 2021 – Day 23
Posted in Ink
First of all, Merry Christmas Eve!
Day 23’s ink is Wonderland, a standard ink. Of the inks I swabbed, Diamine Marigold is the best color dupe. If you have a suggestion for a possible dupe, let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it to the wrap up post.
Enjoy, and happy inking!
25 Days of Dupes 2021 – Day 22
Posted in Ink
Day 22’s ink is Black Ivy, a sheening ink. Of the inks I swabbed, Lamy Petrol is the best color dupe, although 2019’s Inkvent color, Holly, comes very close. If you have a suggestion for a possible dupe, let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it to the wrap up post.
Enjoy, and happy inking!
My 2021 Brand “Discoveries”
Posted in Fountain Pens, and Storage
When I sat down to start writing this post, I thought it would be rather short. Then, I looked through my Airtable database and found that I’d purchased pens from 15 new-to-me brands this year! Wow! Now, when I say new-to-me, I don’t mean I’d never heard of them, just that I’d never before purchased a pen made by that brand.
I bought from a decent mix of indie and mainstream brands, which makes me happy. I like supporting indie brands. And I’ve found, especially recently, that my interest is piqued by indie brands more than mainstream brands.
Anyway, let’s start with mainstream brands to get that out of the way, then jump into the indie brands. FYI: The lists are in alphabetical order.
25 Days of Dupes 2021 – Day 21
Posted in Ink
Day 21’s ink is Brandy Snap, a standard ink. Of the inks I swabbed, Ferris Wheel Press Autumn in Auburn is the best color dupe. If you have a suggestion for a possible dupe, let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it to the wrap up post.
Enjoy, and happy inking!
25 Days of Dupes 2021 – Day 20
Posted in Ink
Day 20’s ink is Pink Ice, a shimmer ink. None of the inks I swabbed was a perfect dupe, so I made my own custom mix (recipe below). If you have a suggestion for a possible dupe, let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it to the wrap up post.
Enjoy, and happy inking!
21 Questions: Fountain Pen Edition
Posted in Fountain Pens, and Ink
DISCLAIMER UPDATE (6/24/22): TWSBI and Narwhal have released a joint statement which I cover in my most recent TWSBIgate post. While not completely satisfied with TWSBI’s response to the situation, I no longer feel the need to dissuade people from purchasing their products.
DISCLAIMER (5/1/22): Since writing this post, TWSBI has been involved in some unsavory actions, and I am currently boycotting them. For more information, refer to the #twsbigate tag page.
This post is based on the 21 QUESTIONS: Makeup Edition video from Theresa is Dead. According to her video the 21 Questions Makeup Edition idea originated from Allie Glines.
This time, there’s no evaluating yourself. You’re just answering 21 Questions. I’m assuming, based on the description under Allie’s video, that there have been other editions of the 21 Questions tag.
25 Days of Dupes 2021 – Day 19
Posted in Ink
Day 19’s ink is Festive Joy, a standard ink. None of the inks I swabbed was a perfect dupe, so I made my own custom mix (recipe below). If you have a suggestion for a possible dupe, let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it to the wrap up post.
Enjoy, and happy inking!
25 Days of Dupes 2021 – Day 18
Posted in Ink
Day 18’s ink is Subzero, a shimmer ink. Of the inks I swabbed, Diamine Aqua Lagoon is the best color dupe. If you have a suggestion for a possible dupe, let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it to the wrap up post.
Enjoy, and happy inking!
25 Days of Dupes 2021 – Day 17
Posted in Ink
Day 17’s ink is Thunderbolt, a standard ink. Of the inks I swabbed, Monteverde DC Supershow Blue is the best color dupe. If you have a suggestion for a possible dupe, let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it to the wrap up post.
Enjoy, and happy inking!
Loft Pens: Building a Rainbow
Posted in Fountain Pens
I first saw Loft Pens in May of this year. They posted a neat stacked ombre pen. I instantly knew I wanted one, but I needed to figure out the color scheme.
It didn’t take me too long to decide I wanted a rainbow. But, since I was trying to pay off some pens, I didn’t reach out to them right away. However, permies.world didn’t waste any time. They posted the rainbow pen they’d commissioned, and it was very pretty. Unfortunately, my contrary nature meant I no longer wanted one like that because it had already been done. I luv ya, PW, really, I do, and your collection! But I digress. I petulantly removed the rainbow pen from my wishlist and didn’t give it much thought.